Bathing at a Japanese Hot Spring | Onsen Etiquette | japan-guide.com

Learn more about Onsen: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2292.html

In this video, we cover all there is to know about Japanese hot springs, bathing manners and our personal favorite recommended hot spring towns and baths.

– Chapters –
00:00 Intro
01:23 What Makes an Onsen?
04:12 How to Bathe?
06:09 How to Take a Bath
09:04 Best Onsen Towns
11:45 Best Baths
12:30 Outro

– Video Credits –
Camera: Andrew Marston, Thomas Ronnlund & Charles Sabas
Editing: Charles Sabas
Produced by: Stefan Schauwecker

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17 Comments

  1. Please we need more 'small how to' like this!
    Next: how to take (permission) street photo or drone in Japan 🤔

  2. Any recommended duration for dipping in an onsen? I heard that long duration in an onsen may have some immediate bad effects on the body

  3. Important nuance to the video. You MUST take a shower before entering an onsen when showers area are available (which is extremely common) unless specified otherwise. If not available at least rinse your body before entering the onsen. Most time you will find signs (in japanese often) specifying that you are required to take a shower and failing to do so will upset other users and is not great for obvious hygiene reasons (especially with onsen that do not have always running new water). I prefer to let you know as signs do not always have obvious symbols for foreigners to understand, especially in rural area.

  4. I knew this guide was a real deal when it mentioned dai ichi takimotokan. Its hard to imagine an onsen like that even existed in this planet. It was like the size of a department store, except everyone were naked 😂

  5. I may add my two onsen favorites, both located in Teshikaga, Hokkaido.

    First, Kawayuonsen, an actual onsen town just east of Lake Kussharo. The sulfur smell in the streets should have warned me that the water could be a little acidic.. Well, safe to say, without much japanese skills, at some point while soaking in the hot water, I made the mistake of touching my eyes with my watery hands. Later I learned, that the pH value of that water was 1.4 and a standard large nail will fully dissolve in about a week time. Besides, the bath was truly amazing, especially during winter!

    As for my number two, it is Kotan Onsen right at Lake Kussharo. It is free of entry and you are requested to wear clothes, as it is a mixed gender bath. It is outside and overlooks Lake Kussharo, which is especially incredible during the height of winter, where the lake fully freezes, besides a few spots at its shore where hot springs fuel the lake, thawing it in the process. Every hour a person will come and check the water temperature, but if it gets too hot (in winter), just stand up, sit on one of the larger rocks outside, or go for a quick snow walk. The -10°C will cool you down quickly 😆

  6. I love onsen!!! I had the privilege to experience them in Nikko, in the hotel rotenburo. It was snowing! The combination of snow from above and the hot water below erased all pains, stress and preoccupations!! Never have I been so relaxed in my life ♨

  7. I stayed 4 days in Kinosaki Onsen at the Nishimuraya Honkan, that was the highlight of my 30 day stay in Japan 2023!

  8. Are there still konyoku onsens in Japan where both men and women bathe together? From what I read, these are now dwindling and they require swimsuits or coverings for both genders, but there are others that only the females are required to have coverings but the males still bathe fully naked.

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